During the qualifying round held at the Autosport International show in Birmingham last January, Tobin Leigh (Racerz55) earned his place in the Le Mans Esports Series grand finale, where he will form a team with Kamikaze110 and F4hrevz, representing the Asia and America zones respectively. They have opted for the name “Keep it Simple Racing”.

Tobin Leigh (LZR Racerz)

At just 18 years old, Tobin Leigh already has quite a track record. A professional driver for Lazarus, he also competes in ForzaRC and is sure to stand out for his ease on the virtual track. “I had my first taste of competitive racing games at age 14, taking part in the Formula One Game Leagues. I then switched to Forza a year later, and started in the Forza Racing Championship.”

Tobin Leigh certainly knows a thing or two about cars. “I’ve had a love for cars ever since I was a child. I've always been aware of the different motorsport categories. My interest in sim racing actually came as a result of my interest in the real-life sport.”

With the Le Mans Esports Series, Tobin Leigh is aware that he's taking on the greatest endurance race in the world and he knows the circuit like the back of his hand. “I used to play older racing titles many, many years ago and I can definitely remember really enjoying the track even back then. The first time I really got to understand the flow of the circuit though, was when I started pushing the boundaries when I got involved in esports. It's definitely one of my favourite tracks on any racing game, especially the Porsche curves!"

Paul Anthony Arevalo Jr (F4HREVS)

26-year-old F4HREVS came to esports in 2017. He’s now an experienced gamer. “It all started with Gran Turismo 1. I was about four or five years old and caught the racing bug at a young age. Since then, I've played a ton of F1 games, NASCAR, almost the entire Forza franchise, and Gran Turismo games. I also enjoy the PC sims like rFactor 2, iRacing and Assetto Corsa.” Coming to Le Mans is a dream for him. “People dream of racing in the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, and the Monaco Grand Prix. For me, it's always been the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I’m looking forward to competing in the Le Mans Esports Series race and to be able to watch the 24 Hours trackside this year."

Paul admits that preparation for the extraordinary finale at Le Mans has not been easy. “Me and my teammates haven't had the chance to practice together, it's a bit difficult when one lives in Japan and the other in Britain. But we've been in contact with each other and have been working together to prepare everything for the event.”

Iori Ohki (kamikaze110)

Iori Ohki is a Japanese gamer used to playing on Gran Turismo Sport and Forza Motorsport 7. He has also taken part in the Virtual Drift Championship but at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he will have to avoid too much powersliding!

His first racing game was Sega Rally and his first gaming experience of Le Mans was on an arcade game released by Sega, where the Circuit de la Sarthe felt something like an amusement park. This virtual racer could spring a surprise at his first major esports event and potentially form part of the winning line-up with his much more experienced teammates.